by Henry Leo Bolduc and Marjorie V. Reynolds

www.henrybolduc.com

There is a magical place inside each of us, a place we trust, a place we enjoy even though we may not completely understand what this place is. We might experience it when daydreaming, when meditating, or when seeking a solution to a problem. In this place we are relaxed, enjoying the experience of our own being. Our thoughts are clear. We feel productive. Quite naturally, we have entered a state of higher consciousness.

What we call daydreaming can take us to that state very easily; our minds sense enlightenment waiting there. Perhaps the urge originates with the “higher self” expressing its desire to communicate with us. It is a place of wonder and magic, a place of great wisdom. It is a state of consciousness visited by saints, mystics, and religious devotees for centuries. Such a heightened level of awareness may be called natural trance.

One definition of the word “trance” is “a sleeplike condition.” Trance is also described as being “a state of mystical absorption,” a state where our interests are totally preoccupied by what we are discovering inside. Far from being an unconscious state, it is a level of heightened awareness. It is a super-consciousness existing outside the current earthly dimension that leads us more deeply inward toward our own higher being. At the same time, the state of trance brings us closer to the ultimate source of all inspiration, the Creator.

Trance is the entryway --- the entrance to an inner reality that is as real and vibrant as the outer reality that surrounds us every day. They are simply two different worlds, existing together. The connection to our Creator is a magical pathway to the heavens, to higher realms of insight and understanding that bring joy and fulfillment. With ego and expectations put aside, trance is a tool that can be used for self-betterment, for inspiration, and for soul development. It is an inner state of peace and well being that is always there for us if we have the willingness and the desire to go into it.

Trance helps to place us in contact with our God-given source of inspiration and creativity. The younger we are, the more connected we are with that inner realm. As children, we often have entered a state of mind where our play was as real as the world that surrounded us. We were so absorbed in the realities of our play world that even a call to lunch or dinner did not affect us. Ultimately, we broke away and responded to the outer reality; yet, that rich world of imagination and inner teaching we had entered during play would keep calling us back.

As adults, we can revisit that enchanted realm. The innocence and openness of a child’s state of mind, sometimes, is necessary when approaching the truths trance can hold. The term “child-like,” for some implies being naïve or simplistic but, in a child’s world of wonder and magic, there is also great wisdom. We can see the difference between “child-like” and “childish.” A great teacher once said, ”Except ye become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

Kingdom of Heaven

As children, we understand that this “kingdom of heaven” is within us. We yearn for it. We seek it. Many times we find it. As adults, we tend to complicate things. As the American philosopher Thoreau advised, “Simplify, simplify, simplify.” We move further and further away from the ability to play creatively as we understood as children. We forget how to become entranced, and how to allow ourselves the freedom to open our gifts of creativity and to use them.

The use of natural trance can unlock the doors that lead to many of life’s treasures, and can lead to one’s level of genius. It is a natural inroad to the wise and exuberant inner self who holds the answers to questions, the maps for quests, and the energy to accomplish goals.

So, what is trance, and how do we know when we’ve reached it? We might be in trance when we least expect it --- while admiring a beautiful sunset, and noticing that we’re having profound thoughts that are leading us to great truths or to a better understanding of our own lives. We might be in trance when we sit in formal meditation, or when we merely quiet ourselves to seek the presence of the Creator and suddenly realize, with boundless joy, that we are there.

We may be led to that state of consciousness by a hypnotherapist who walks us smoothly through the levels of relaxation that can open doors to the trance state where we can seek our inner truths. Later, by acquiring the skill of practicing self-hypnosis, we can return to the trance state without another person’s assistance.

Trance is an interior, peaceful state in which we are aware of what is happening in the outer world but, by our own permission, are detached from it. It is a level where wonderful inner work takes place and where constructive imagining can lead to miracles.

Garden of the Mind

When we enter trance, we enter the “garden of the mind.” Gardens are usually peaceful, pleasant, and inspiring places where beauty, harmony, and serenity reign. They are a pleasure to experience and a pleasure in which to work. In a trance state, we are at work in the gardens of our minds.

What we plant in our mind’s garden grows to become our life experiences. What we hold in thought becomes reality in our lives. Using the seeds of imagination, we can grow beautiful, useful, and incredibly inspiring things.

To “imagine” means, “to hold a mental picture of something not present.” Imagination is the practice of imagining things. That is how we can work in our mind gardens. If we hold the picture of success in our minds, it will happen. If we picture prosperity for ourselves, it will manifest. If we picture healing, it will be so. Whatever we plant or sow, we reap.

Those things will come only if we put real-life energy into them. Just sitting still and waiting for things to happen seldom brings desired results into reality. We have to do the work begun in the inner self by using the inspiration, guidance, and confidence we discovered while in trance. That is where the bountiful garden of self-realization is sown. Later, in the outer world, we harvest the fulfillment of our dreams. The work we do in our inner world, through trance, brings reality to our outer world.

Some people fear the word “trance,” because they believe that it implies being out of control, or under the control of someone else. Actually, trance is a natural state that exists within each of us if we quiet ourselves long enough to experience it. Hypnosis, another misunderstood term, is a means of achieving the trance state. It is the outer-to inner road that leads to the calm, natural, inner journeys.

Whether we reach that natural state of trance by means of guided hypnosis, self-hypnosis, or meditation, the path always leads to the same destination – that magical, wonderful place in the heart of spirit where we experience the truth about ourselves. It is a good place, a place where we can learn the best use of our skills and gifts and, perhaps, to discover new ones. It is a place of joyful, beneficial secrets that are revealed to those who seek them.

Best of all, trance is as free as the air we breathe. It is a feast that produces positive results for the soul. No one can force us to go there but, when we do, we find ourselves refreshed and revitalized. We have visited the garden in the mind where spiritually energizing qualities grow. The beauty and truth we experience bring us back again and again.

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